EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

Jessica McQueen
S00144107
EDAC Assessment Task 2:
Philosophy of Teaching and Behaviour Management Plan
Part 1 Personal Philosophy
As a teacher, I want to provide a safe, inclusive and supportive
environment which maximises learning opportunities for all my
students. I want to promote a classroom where mutual respect and
understanding is present, as I believe this will help create at an
environment which everyone wants to be in and therefore will be
conducive to student learning. Students will learn through my
example that everyone in the classroom needs to be treated fairly.
Through promoting a fair environment this will help to build the
students trust in me as their teacher and that I am someone who
they can approach for help and support.
Through building a rapport with my students they will feel
comfortable engaging and participating in class discussions where
valuable learning can occur. I believe it is essential for a teacher to
meet the individual needs of all students, so I will need to know
where my students are at and how they learn. This will allow me to
teach them in a way that is most beneficial and engaging for them.
I also aim to develop student responsibility in that students begin to
develop responsibility for their own learning and actions. This means
students will not all have to rely on me to guide their learning and
behaviour which is an attribute that will set students up for future
success.
In order to create a fair classroom environment I will need to make
the expectations clear from the beginning and ensure the students
are aware of the possible consequences. I will include my students
in developing these rules because this will give them ownership
over them therefore ensuring the students are more likely to follow
them. It will also help to ensure that rules are explicitly clear and
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students know what is expected of them. I believe it will be most
beneficial to focus on teaching students acceptable behaviour (i.e.
focusing on the dos) instead of focusing on the do nots. I
understand that there will be times where strict discipline will be
needed, but I will do this in way that not cause distress and harm to
the student. After such situations I will need to look at the students
behaviour to determine the reasons behind it. I will then work with
the student and others to support the student and help the student
to manage themselves and their behaviour in a more appropriate
way.
Word Count: 401 words
Part 2 Behaviour Management Theory
Cognitive-behaviourism is the theory which is most influential on my
teaching and behaviour management. Cognitive-behaviourism
maintains some of the features of applied behaviour analysis (ABA)
while also involving students own thinking (Porter, 2000). Cognitivebehaviourism recognises that behaviour is controlled by
consequences and students emotional state, motivation, selfesteem, social setting and developmental level. As a result the
intervention for inappropriate behaviour is focused on the
behaviours consequences and students thoughts and feelings. This
theory recognises students should be active in establishing
behavioural goals and the consequences for not following these
(Porter, 2000).
Porter (2000) explains the teacher-student relationship will have
elements of authoritarian however students will have a role in
developing and implementing behaviour goals instead of these
being just imposed on them. Therefore cognitive-behaviourism is
between authoritarian and authoritative on the balance of power
continuum of student discipline. This is reflected in my personal
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EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

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philosophy as I believe that it is best to include students in setting
behavioural expectations and goals. However I understand that
there will be times when I need to be authoritarian and set limits
and consequences without student involvement.
Porter (2000) explains it is important for teachers to encourage
students to decide for themselves that it is in their interests to
satisfy your expectations about their behaviour (pg.68). This is
evident in my personal philosophy as I believe it is important for
teachers to help students develop responsibility over their own
learning and actions. Teachers need to get students to focus on
what they know about appropriate behaviour, their problem solving
skills and their awareness of the repercussions of their behaviour.
This will help students to consider their own behaviour (Porter,
2000). It has been found that it is beneficial for students to be
involved in developing expectations and consequences instead of
just imposing rules and solutions on them (Porter, 2000). This is
because when students are involved and in control they are more
motivated to change their behaviour and more determined to act in
ways which led to success (Porter, 2000).
Whilst cognitive-behaviourism is very influential for me there are
other theories which also influence me. The humanism theory views
the role of the teacher as facilitating learning, establishing a rapport
with students whilst promoting personal learning and growth (Porter,
2000). I strongly believe that it is essential for teachers to build a
good rapport with students as it benefits and promotes learning.
This is evident in my personal philosophy as I believe it is important
to form relationships based on trust, respect and understanding with
my students.

EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

Jessica McQueen
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Assertive discipline is another influential theory, while I do not
accept all elements of this theory there are some elements which I
wish to implement in my practice. The theory recognises that
students need clear behavioural limits and teachers need to be
assertive (Lyons, Ford, & Arthur-Kelly, 2011). This is evident in my
personal philosophy as I believe it is vital for teachers to
communicate their expectations which provides students with clear
limits. The assertive discipline theory explains teachers need to be
assertive which I agree with to an extent because I believe there are
times when teachers need to be assertive but this is not always
needed. As a teacher I will need to use my discretion as to when I
need to be assertive and when I need to be constrained.
Lyons et al. (2011) explains teachers require a comprehensive
discipline plan which has proactive and reactive strategies. I feel it is
necessary for all teachers to have an individual behaviour
management plan because they need to be well equipped with a
range of strategies and skills because they can experience an
extensive range of behaviours. As a result teachers need to have a
number of strategies should the need to use them arise.
My aim as a teacher is implement a number of proactive strategies
as these help to reduce the likelihood of a child demonstrating
inappropriate behaviour, and involve altering a situation before
problems escalate (Clunies-Ross, Little & Kienhuis, 2008, pg.695).
These strategies include establishing rules and praising students
who are engaging in appropriate and acceptable behaviour.
Teachers also require reactive strategies because no matter how
good and effective their proactive strategies are there will still be
times when they need to use reactive strategies. These are the
teachers actions of how they deal with a student engaged in

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Jessica McQueen
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inappropriate behaviour and include consequences and yelling
(Clunies-Ross et al., 2008).
Overall, my behaviour management practice is mostly influenced by
the cognitive-behaviourism theory because I believe students have
the capacity for both good and bad behaviour and they make a
choice over their behaviour (Lyons et al., 2011). As a teacher when a
student is engaged with inappropriate behaviour I need to work with
the student to determine the reason for this behaviour and work
with them to reduce the behaviour. An aspect of the cognitivebehaviourism theory is actively collaborating with students to build
an effective learning environment while using a range of behaviour
strategies such as rewards and punishments (Lyons et al., 2011).
This theory increases student motivation and improves educational
and behavioural outcomes by aiming for students to become
independent in managing their own behaviour, rather than to have
this managed for them (Porter, 2000, pg.87).
Word Count: 873 words
Part 3 Own Behaviour Management Plan
How will you make clear your expectations for appropriate
behaviour?
Together as a class we will develop rules and behaviour
expectations. This makes expectations explicitly clear to students
(Emmer & Stough, 2010). It gives students ownership of the rules
making students more likely to follow rules and less likely to be
disruptive (Erwin, 2004).
The classroom rules are stated using positive terms and focus on
what students should do (Salend, 2011). Students are more likely to
follow rules if they are presented in a firm, calm and respectful

EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

Jessica McQueen
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manner (Salend, 2011). These rules will be displayed around the
classroom as a reminder for students.
Strategies you will use to reinforce appropriate behaviour
Rewards help motivate students to display appropriate behaviour
but these must be used on a limited basis so they can have their full
effect (Hoffmann, Huff, Patterson, & Nietfield, 2008). It is important
to give students supportive and descriptive feedback and
encouragement because students respond to and benefit from
positive acknowledgement and affirmation (Rogers, 2011). I believe
it is important to acknowledge appropriate behaviour as this
reinforces what appropriate behaviour is.
Strategies you will use to prevent inappropriate behaviour
I will make students aware of their behaviour which will give them a
clear understanding of what behaviour is inappropriate and why
(Porter, 2000). Together with the student we will set specific,
challenging but achievable, and fairly immediate goals to improve
their behaviour (Porter, 2000, pg.76).
It is important for students to develop skills in being able to selfregulate their own behaviour through a strategy like, Stop Think
Do. Stop Think Do aims to develop cooperative classrooms,
empower students through teaching self-control, decision making
and positive actions while teaching empathy, responsibility and
respect for others and develop group skills (Peterson, n.d.). This
strategy encourages students to stop and think before they act and
then act appropriately.

EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

Jessica McQueen
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How you will address inappropriate behaviour?
Inappropriate behaviour must be addressed, but how depends on
the behaviour and student. There are two types of consequences.
Corrective consequences are used to reteach a desired behaviour
and negative consequences apply an undesired response to
counter a students misbehaviour (Good, 2008, pg.15).
For situations involving moderate misbehaviour I will use corrective
consequences. It is important to act on these minor misbehaviours
before they escalate into something more serious (Teach for
America, 2011). This could be reminding students of the class
behaviour expectations which will promote students to be
responsible for their own actions. More serious cases of misbehavior
will be addressed through a negative consequence like removing the
student from the classroom (Good, 2008).
To successfully implement consequences I must communicate with
the student that they are responsible for the outcome of their
behaviour and implement consequences consistently ensuring
students understand what will happen if they behave
inappropriately (Teach for America, 2011). Consequences also must
be implemented respectfully by addressing misbehavior in a way
that allows students to maintain their dignity (Teach for America,
2011, pg.54). When appropriate the student should be given the
opportunity to reflect on their behaviour as this is vital in the selfregulating process. This allows the student to consider how they
should respond next time.
How you will monitor student progress?
Through observations I will gain insight into if students are able to
behave appropriately and if not what triggers the inappropriate
behaviour. From this I will be able to put strategies in place to

EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

Jessica McQueen
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support the student. I will also be able to observe what is helping
students to behave appropriately. I can use the knowledge gained
through observations to alter the focus of my behaviour
management strategies to match students behaviours.
Self-monitoring is another way to monitor student progress. It is an
effective tool for behavior change and involves students
measuring and recording their own behaviour and comparing it to a
pre-determined standard (Wright, 2013, pg.1). Self-monitoring
promotes the student to be active in behaviour management
(Wright, 2013). Self-monitoring will provide insight into how students
think they are behaving and what they believe triggers their
behaviour.
How you will identify if desired outcomes have been
reached?
I will identify if desired outcomes have been achieved by assessing
students ability to self-regulate their own behaviour and to make
decisions resulting in appropriate behaviour. I will also know the
outcomes have been achieved because I will be dealing with less
inappropriate behaviour as students will have the skills to manage
their own behaviour. However I recognise that there still will be
times when I will need to step in.
A crisis plan (what will you do if the wheels fall off?)
I will require a crisis plan for when things are not going like hoped.
My crisis plan involves:

Taking a deep breath and remaining calm

Using behaviour management plan strategies and perhaps
altering these to respond to the current situation and

students needs
Ensuring all student remain safe

EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

Jessica McQueen
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Using reactive strategies as at this stage student will not be

able to learn anything about self-management

Being firm and using strategies which are known to be

effective with that student

Seeking assistance from other staff members if needed
After the incident reflecting on the incident. Including the

student in this process if appropriate

o What happened?
o Why did it happen?
o Could it have been prevented? If so, how?
Re-evaluating behaviour management plan to ensure it
reflects students needs and behaviours

Strategies for integrating with the school and other

teachers classroom management policies
Teachers need to align their behaviour management plans with their
schools expectations, beliefs and values. A coordinated whole
school approach and school-wide expectations for behaviour
ensures teachers have similar behavioural expectations so students
know these expectations apply across the school and not just in
their classroom (Fields, 2012, p.9).
Word Count: 880 words (excluding headings)
Total Word Count: 2,154 words

EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

Jessica McQueen
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Part 4 One Page

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EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

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In our classroom we make sure everyone feels

welcome and included.
We build respectful relationships with each other
and believe in treating everyone fairly.
We all have a passion for learning
and are motivated to do our best in
everything we do.
Together as a class we set rules and goals and it is
our responsibility to follow these.
We also take responsibility for our own
words and actions.
We remember to STOP, THINK and DO
so we can behave in an appropriate way.
We reflect on our own behaviour,
so next time we can behave better.
Our classroom is a supportive and friendly
environment,
where everyone feels safe
and can express their own opinion.

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EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

Jessica McQueen
S00144107
References:
Clunies-Ross, P., Little, E., & Kienhuis, M. (2008). Selfreported and
actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management
strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and
student behaviour. Educational Psychology: An International
Journal of Experimental Educational Psychology, 28(6), 693710. doi: 10.1080/01443410802206700
Emmer, E., & Stough, L. (2010). Classroom Management: A Critical
Part of Educational Psychology, With Implications for Teacher
Education. Educational Psychologist, 36(2), 103-112. doi:
10.1207/S15326985EP3602_5
Erwin, J. (2004). The Classroom of Choice. Giving Students What
They Need and Getting What You Want. Retrieved from
www.ebrary.com
Fields, B. (2012). Gettingthebalanceright:Thechallengeofbalancingpraiseand
correction for early school years children who exhibit
oppositional and defiant behaviour. Australasian Journal of
Early Childhood, 37(4). Retrieved from
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/ourpublications/australasian-journal-early-childhood/indexabstracts/ajec-vol-37-4-2012/getting-balance-right-challengebalancing-praise-correction-early-school-years-childrenexhibit-oppositional-defiant-behaviour/
Good, T. (2008). 21st Century Education: A Reference Handbook:
Proactive Classroom Management. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412964012
Hoffmann, K., Huff, J., Patterson, A., & Nietfield, J. (2008).
Elementary teachers use and perception of rewards in the
classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(6), 843-849.
doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2008.12.004
Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Arthur-Kelly. (2011). Classroom Management.
Creating Positive Learning Environments (3rd ed.). Retrieved
from
http://www.cengagebrain.com.au/content/lyons87128_017018
7128_02.01_chapter01.pdf
Peterson, L. (n.d.). Stop Think Do. Retrieved from
https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/primary/programs/stop-thinkdo
Porter, L. (2000). Student Behaviour. Theory and Practice for
Teachers (2nd ed.).
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EDAC314: Positive Behaviour Approaches

Jessica McQueen
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http://ir.nmu.org.ua/bitstream/handle/123456789/126363/0a1
a2635b6afeeac221b828e46a03f6d.pdf?sequence=1
Rogers, B. (2011). Classroom Behaviour. A Practical Guide to
Effective Teaching, Behaviour Management and Colleague
Support (3rd ed.). London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications
Ltd.
Salend, S. (2011). Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Effective and
Reflective Practices. Retrieved from
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/samplechapter/0132272350.
pdf
Teach for America. (2011). Classroom Management & Culture.
Retrieved from
http://www.teachingasleadership.org/sites/default/files/Related
-Readings/CMC_2011.pdf
Wright, J. (2013). How To: Teach Students to Change Behaviors
Through Self-Monitoring. Retrieved from
https://www.interventioncentral.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/pdf
s_blog/self_management_self_monitoring.pdf

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